Got to be
Gotland
This
Swedish island offers tourists a leisurely peep into some
ancient
history and the chance to unwind with only your thoughts
for
company
Around 7,00,000 people
annually flock to Gotland, an island of around
60,000 residents, a
45-minute flight from the capital Stockholm or an
hour from the second
largest city Gothenburg. Most cram their holidays
into the peak season
between early July and mid-August every year,
making this onetime Viking
stronghold a preferred place for visitors to
enjoy the Swedish summer.
Vacationers like to soak
in the sun and unwind at bars and cafés that dot
this island or take a car
or bike ride around Gotland. Once the holidaying
hordes disappear, Gotland
goes back to being a quiet island.
Noisy vacationers make their way back home,
sun tans in place and souvenirs packed away, cafés and other attractions shut
for the winter and local
residents welcome the
silence again. For some, this lean period makes
Gotland a great place to take
a break from everyday urban chaos.
We landed in Visby, the
capital city of Gotland (with a population of over
23,000 it would qualify as
a small neighbourhood in India), on a small plane
from Gothenburg. The
flight from Gothenburg (Sweden's second largest city and home to Volvo, with 60
company offices scattered across town) was half empty and most of those
aboard seemed to be headed home or for a conference of some
sort.For sure, we were the only Indians aboard, and
seemingly the only
`serious' tourists headed to an island normally sought
a month or two earlier.
Walks to Remember
For city slickers, the
ride from the tiny airport to the hotel is the first pleasant surprise -it takes barely
10 minutes (it perhaps took longer to find a cab large enough to transport the
family) to get to our hotel. One of the advantages of holidaying in the off
season is that good places are 15-50% cheaper (according to the local
tourist information office), and walking around the undulating stone cobbled
streets of old Visby is a breeze. If you're someone who lives for the rush of a holiday throng,
Gotland and Visby aren't for you.
Instead, be prepared for long walks, lovely
views and a generous helping of
history at every turn
-especially around the 3.5-km wall that yet stands in Visby.
While Visby itself can be seen in a day (or
two if you're really particular),
consider a threeday trip
to really enjoy the solitude.
Indian tourists are
belatedly discovering Sweden and indeed much of
Scandinavia.Used to a regular staple of
western Europe (think Big Ben
in London, Eiffel Tower in Paris, The Alps in
Switzerland and Tulips in
Amsterdam), this region
offers plenty of alternatives to the adventurous
tourist. Indian tourists
appear to be looking beyond the usual.
According to data from the
Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth,
the number of overnight
stays by Indian tourists increased by 24.6% in 2014
compared to the previous
year. However, almost all these tourists visited in
summer, when temperature was more comfortable,
crowds of tourists
packed popular places and
the usual list of sights could be ticked off.
Gotland, in mid to late
September isn't usually on those lists. Instead, in
September, you can expect
temperatures between 5o and 15o Celsius,
decent odds of the odd
shower anytime in the day and a noticeably sharp
wind to go with it. What
you do get, however, are crisp air, cheap hotels
and the chance to look
around an island that isn't just pretty, but for history
buffs dates back thousands
of years. Despite being off season, locals continue to be friendly and approachable, with most of
them being English conversant.
As a small city Visby is
easy to get around and Gotland too can be
comfortably navigated.
Treats to Savour
In September, it mostly
feels like you have the island to yourself -a café
serving a locally made
icecream brand is tragically shut for the year
-but that setback is compensated by having a
restaurant to yourself for lunch.
While the seafood is an
obvious choice if you're on an island (thin pickings for vegetarians), it is
actually bacon that's the local specialty in Gotland. Pair that with a house white wine or
a locally brewed beer to round off your meal.
And, if you've space for dessert try saffranspannkaka,
a saffron pancake
layered with red berries
and a generous serving of cream. Food coma, here
you come. In the off
season, there are fewer restaurants and cafés open, but
the ones that are, welcome
you warmly. While lunch can be had in bright
sunshine (weather Gods
permitting) it does get rather chilly in the evenings.
We chanced upon a little restaurant just off
the main square for dinner when
we were there, which
served an excellent lamb burger, along with a cosy
atmosphere and the company
of friendly owners.
In Visby itself, there is
plenty of time and space to look around. For the past
two decades, the city has
been a Unesco World Herit age site, thanks to the
wall around the old city
and buildings dating back to the 1400s from the
Hanseatic pe riod (around
1300-1500), within its confines. For ex ample,
from the centre of town,
amble over to look at the St. Mary's Cathedral
(lo cally called Visby
Domkyr ka) from the 13th century, the St. Nicolai Ruin and St.Karin Cathedral Ruins (the
largest church ruin in Visby).
The centre of the old town
is also filled with houses dating back to the 1400s,
most prominently Burmeister House, perhaps the
prettiest (and one of the
oldest) of the lot. Also
take some time to walk around the length of the old
city walls, since you can
look at the old towers, which give you different views of Visby and Gotland
itself. For a city that was kicked about between multiple kingdoms and rulers, the local Fornsalen
Museum, packed with many heritage finds, is a must see. However, for those
looking to really break away from it all, the countryside urgently beckons.
If you're the type who
drives, then head out of the Visby (the island is big
enough for the likes of
Avis to house a small self-drive business and Indian
licenses work) and hit the
countryside. Barely 10 minutes or 4 km from Visby is Hogklint, a region of sheer limestone
cliffs and caves. Drive over to enjoy the panoramic views (the island's
harbour and old Visby can be sighted on most days) and clamber
down a wooden ladder to look around the area.
Visually, even more
stunning is Nar Gyr, a pebbled beach with rolling
meadows adjoining and a quite splendid
lighthouse for company.
Located in the south east
of the island, this is a couple of hours drive away,
but with little traffic
-motorised or human -you can enjoy the views
along the way. Food can be
a bit of a challenge on the way
(we chanced on the tail
end of a lunch service at a small hotel),
so it helps to carry food
when you're on the road.
Unwinding at its Best
Going from Mumbai, a city
plagued by unending jams and cacophonous traffic, Gotland's traffic-less and
noiseless roads are a welcome change. While there are a few vehicles in the
newer part of town, for most part we had the roads to ourselves. For the more
adventurous, try to drive further out of town and go to Lärbro, nearly 40 km
to the north east, which has one of the island's most interesting churches -an octagonal shaped
one. This is one of just two in Scadinavia (the other
in Trondheim in Norway) and St Olav is thought to have bought Christianity to Gotland. Even
further ahead (60 km from Visby) is Fårösund, starkly different from the rest
of Gotland. While it takes barely seven minutes to cross the
strait to reach Fårösund, the landscape is more barren and stark. The
seastacks at Langhammers are unique and worth the longish drive. And yes,
the Hollywood filmmaker, Ingmar Bergman lived on the island and there's
even an eponymous estate there, which is worth a look around for those
inclined.
However, in the off
season, the best agenda is not having one at all.
Part of the challenge of
going on holiday is the urge to pack in your time
with things to do -even hitting a beach has to
be pencilled into an already
packed itinerary. In the
off season then, Gotland goes against all these
compulsions.While there
are a couple of museums, it is also the time to do
a lot of nothing. Long walks to look around an
ancient city, leisurely drives
around a beautiful, if empty countryside to
recharge yourself, with the
serious goal of less being
more. One sunny afternoon in Visby, we sat on
the terrace of our hotel,
drinking a hot cup of coffee and soaking up
Gotland's easy vibe. With
no tourist coach to catch and no monuments
to rush to before closing
time, this was perhaps the best way to spend our vacation.
Rahul Sachitanand
|
ETM25OCT15
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